Canaccord Genuity Group Cuts AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) Price Target to $300.00

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) had its price target decreased by Canaccord Genuity Group from $330.00 to $300.00 in a report published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Canaccord Genuity Group currently has a buy rating on the aerospace company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Zacks Research lowered AeroVironment from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup reissued a “market outperform” rating on shares of AeroVironment in a report on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of AeroVironment from $259.00 to $236.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of AeroVironment in a research report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $355.00 target price for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of AeroVironment from $486.00 to $429.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.78.

AeroVironment Stock Performance

AVAV opened at $207.07 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 5.51, a quick ratio of 4.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The business’s 50 day moving average is $281.00 and its 200-day moving average is $292.20. The stock has a market cap of $10.34 billion, a PE ratio of -47.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 1.26. AeroVironment has a twelve month low of $102.25 and a twelve month high of $417.86.

AeroVironment (NASDAQ:AVAV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 10th. The aerospace company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.04). AeroVironment had a positive return on equity of 3.26% and a negative net margin of 13.93%.The business had revenue of $408.05 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.94 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.30 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 143.4% compared to the same quarter last year. AeroVironment has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.750-3.100 EPS. On average, analysts predict that AeroVironment will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Brian Charles Shackley sold 200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.92, for a total transaction of $50,184.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 5,994 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,504,014.48. This trade represents a 3.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen F. Page sold 1,000 shares of AeroVironment stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $377.62, for a total value of $377,620.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 51,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,258,997.62. The trade was a 1.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,474 shares of company stock worth $1,390,404. 0.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AeroVironment

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of AVAV. United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in shares of AeroVironment during the 1st quarter valued at about $225,000. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. bought a new stake in shares of AeroVironment in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $285,000. Wedbush Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter valued at approximately $273,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in AeroVironment by 7.6% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 10,156 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,894,000 after purchasing an additional 718 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Profund Advisors LLC bought a new stake in AeroVironment during the second quarter worth approximately $400,000. 86.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

AeroVironment News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting AeroVironment this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Underlying demand/backlog: Q3 revenue rose ~143% YoY and the company still reports a multi‑hundred‑million to billion‑level backlog that supports longer‑term revenue — a constructive backdrop if execution and contract timing normalize. Q3 revenue and backlog discussion
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains: despite trimming targets, many firms (BTIG, Jefferies, Canaccord and others) kept Buy/Outperform ratings, signalling expectations of mid/long‑term upside if AeroVironment regains program visibility and scales production. Analyst note summary (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings and guidance: Q3 results beat on some metrics (strong YoY revenue growth) but missed consensus on revenue and EPS; management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $2.75–$3.10, below street expectations — creates uncertainty but also sets clearer, more conservative targets. Q3 miss and guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Price‑target downgrades but ratings mixed: several shops cut targets (KeyBanc, Canaccord, BTIG, Jefferies) while mostly keeping Buy/Outperform stances — implies recalibrated expectations rather than broad conviction shift. KeyCorp target cut Canaccord note
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reporting in feeds shows anomalous/zero values (likely data error); no clear short squeeze signal from those items. Short interest entries (data anomaly)
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares plunged after the Q3 miss and the outlook cut as investors punished reduced near‑term visibility and growth assumptions. Shares fall on Q3 miss
• Negative Sentiment: Contract risk: reports of SCAR/Space Force contract termination or timing disruptions remove material unfunded backlog (reports cite ~$1.4–1.7B), increasing near‑term revenue uncertainty and pressuring sentiment. SCAR contract and backlog risk
• Negative Sentiment: Financing/leverage risk: disclosure of a $727M notes issuance tightens covenants and raises leverage/liquidity risk — an added structural concern for investors already focused on visibility. Notes issuance risk
• Negative Sentiment: Headline/legal/insider risk: Pomerantz launched an investor probe and the CFO disclosed small share sales — both increase short‑term headline risk and may amplify volatility. Pomerantz investigation CFO Form 4

About AeroVironment

AeroVironment, Inc (NASDAQ:AVAV) is a technology company specializing in unmanned aerial systems (UAS), tactical missiles and precision loitering munitions, electric vehicle charging and scalable energy systems. Headquartered in Monrovia, California, the company develops solutions for defense, public safety and commercial markets. Their offerings include small UAS for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as advanced weapons systems designed to meet the needs of modern military operations.

The company’s unmanned aerial systems portfolio features platforms such as the Raven, Puma and Switchblade series, which are deployed by the U.S.